If you asked me to describe Connor's demeanor I'm honestly not sure what I would say. After listening to close friends talk about their babies, I decided Connor seems a little more fussy than your average baby. I can constantly feel his stomach churning and gas bubbles moving around. After doing a lot of research and forum surfing I decided to give gripe water a shot. HOLY COW! HOLY COW! HOLY COW! I never knew what a sweet, smiley, happy baby I have.
Gripe water calls for 1 tsp up to 6 times a day during or after feeding. I gave Connor 1/4 a teaspoon with his bottles today and he only fussed when we got tired or hungry. I could have left that baby in his swing all day and he would have just laid there! Tomorrow I plan to talk to the doctor about it just to see if he has anything to add.
And speaking of the doctor, tomorrow is Connor's 2 month well check. I'm dreading it. He will be getting shots and it makes me cringe just to think about it. Everyone told me to have infant Tylenol on hand. Tonight I went on a search for infant Tylenol and couldn't seem to find it anywhere. Finally, I found one box of the Walgreen's generic. I wanted to double check with the pharmacist about the appropriate age because it wasn't listed anywhere on the box. After talking to her I found out why it was so hard to find the Tylenol. All children's Tylenol has been recalled due to a musty odor so people have purchased all the generics. I was so thankful to find a single box.
Here's hoping tomorrow isn't too hard on Connor. It's his 2 month birthday and our 3 year anniversary.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Sunday, August 7, 2011
And Exhale...
I've been holding my breath for 8 weeks and I finally feel like I can exhale.
Connor has a routine.
I understand my baby's needs.
I know what to do.
When I was studying to be a teacher, several of my professors made reference to the moment when it becomes real. Your very first day of school when you shut the door behind you. That's when you really become a real teacher. There was a similar moment referenced with parenthood. I was terrified of the moment we brought Connor home and had that "now what" feeling. We took a deep breath and left the hospital anxiously heading home. I don't think I've breathed since.....until now.
I'm a little slow but praise God that I've finally got my breath back. I know what to do.....at least for now. ; )
Connor has a routine.
I understand my baby's needs.
I know what to do.
When I was studying to be a teacher, several of my professors made reference to the moment when it becomes real. Your very first day of school when you shut the door behind you. That's when you really become a real teacher. There was a similar moment referenced with parenthood. I was terrified of the moment we brought Connor home and had that "now what" feeling. We took a deep breath and left the hospital anxiously heading home. I don't think I've breathed since.....until now.
I'm a little slow but praise God that I've finally got my breath back. I know what to do.....at least for now. ; )
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Picking Veggies and Checking on Dogs
Connor and I got up bright and early this morning to beat the heat. We had to make the 1 hour trek to my dad's house to check on the dogs and pick veggies from the garden. Thankfully it was only 83 degrees when we got there. That's great compared to the upper 90's we've been tortured with lately....seriously, it's not even worth leaving the house.
We got to dad's and were greeted by the dogs. Ivy got to run around and play for awhile too. I can't go to dad's without taking her. Ivy hasn't been walked daily since Connor was born so we have to take advantage of every opportunity. I fed Connor then headed to the garden. I had to take Connor in his car seat because the garden is so far away from the house. The mosquitoes were very thick so I had to put a blanket over the carrier. He had beads of sweat on his face by the time I was done. I picked 2 envirosaxs full of veggies. One was FULL of tomatoes. My dad goes a little overboard as far as his garden is concerned. I picked squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, green peppers and red peppers. I dropped tons of stuff off at Katie's and took some home for myself.
No need to go to the Farmer's Market this weekend!
We got to dad's and were greeted by the dogs. Ivy got to run around and play for awhile too. I can't go to dad's without taking her. Ivy hasn't been walked daily since Connor was born so we have to take advantage of every opportunity. I fed Connor then headed to the garden. I had to take Connor in his car seat because the garden is so far away from the house. The mosquitoes were very thick so I had to put a blanket over the carrier. He had beads of sweat on his face by the time I was done. I picked 2 envirosaxs full of veggies. One was FULL of tomatoes. My dad goes a little overboard as far as his garden is concerned. I picked squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, green peppers and red peppers. I dropped tons of stuff off at Katie's and took some home for myself.
No need to go to the Farmer's Market this weekend!
Saturday, July 30, 2011
# 2
Bake a Fancy Cake
Let me just start by saying, OVERRATED!
I made this sponge cake. http://www.joyofbaking.com/ChocolateGenoise.html
If you're like me it took you ten minutes just to read/comprehend that recipe.....and another ten to look up the correct tools and techniques to make the cake.
This cake proved to be a challenge mostly because of Connor. If you read the recipe you will not that there are several sessions where you are whisking ingredients continuously for up to ten minutes. That does not go over so well with a screaming baby in the background. There were several times where I found myself whisking away and bouncing Connor's seat with my foot.
I used almost every dish in my kitchen and had to stop to wash dishes TWICE! I want to know who has that many bowls in their kitchen because I surely do not! If you saw how much pyrex we got for our wedding you can understand just how many bowls were required to complete this recipe.
The cake part turned out perfect. The mousse turned out runny. Of course, this was because the melted chocolate was too hot but it doesn't tell you that until the end. When I put the cake together the mousse kinda ran all over the place!! You couldn't even taste the orange soaking syrup.
The verdict? The cake lacked presentation but tastes pretty good. The book club ladies liked it or they were at least gracious enough to say they liked it! It was very rich and SO NOT WORTH THE TIME IT TOOK TO MAKE IT.
Oh well, cross one off the list!
**I wanted to take pictures during and after the whole cake process. Unfortunately, the process was so intense I didn't stop to take any pictures. By the time the cake was done I was so frustrated I was just ready to throw the thing in the refrigeration and be done with it.
1.Read a magazine cover to cover
2.Bake a fancy cake.
3. Take Connor to the zoo.
4.Go on a date.
5. Trim the hedges.
6. Shop at the farmers market regularly.
7. Surprise Steven
8.Plant an herb garden.
9. Read a classic novel.
10. Blog regularly
Let me just start by saying, OVERRATED!
I made this sponge cake. http://www.joyofbaking.com/ChocolateGenoise.html
If you're like me it took you ten minutes just to read/comprehend that recipe.....and another ten to look up the correct tools and techniques to make the cake.
This cake proved to be a challenge mostly because of Connor. If you read the recipe you will not that there are several sessions where you are whisking ingredients continuously for up to ten minutes. That does not go over so well with a screaming baby in the background. There were several times where I found myself whisking away and bouncing Connor's seat with my foot.
I used almost every dish in my kitchen and had to stop to wash dishes TWICE! I want to know who has that many bowls in their kitchen because I surely do not! If you saw how much pyrex we got for our wedding you can understand just how many bowls were required to complete this recipe.
The cake part turned out perfect. The mousse turned out runny. Of course, this was because the melted chocolate was too hot but it doesn't tell you that until the end. When I put the cake together the mousse kinda ran all over the place!! You couldn't even taste the orange soaking syrup.
The verdict? The cake lacked presentation but tastes pretty good. The book club ladies liked it or they were at least gracious enough to say they liked it! It was very rich and SO NOT WORTH THE TIME IT TOOK TO MAKE IT.
Oh well, cross one off the list!
**I wanted to take pictures during and after the whole cake process. Unfortunately, the process was so intense I didn't stop to take any pictures. By the time the cake was done I was so frustrated I was just ready to throw the thing in the refrigeration and be done with it.
1.
2.
3. Take Connor to the zoo.
4.
5. Trim the hedges.
6. Shop at the farmers market regularly.
7. Surprise Steven
8.
9. Read a classic novel.
10. Blog regularly
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
March Madness - Summer Edition UPDATE
1. Read a magazine cover to cover - This was much more relaxing than I expected. I read Better Homes and Gardens June 2011 issue. It was nice but it took me FOVEVER. I forced myself to read the recipes and the gardening sections. I usually skip those because I'm not terribly interested in either. Now I've got a serious magazine backup! I have two issues of BHG to read and 4 issues of Parents. All in good time I suppose.
2. Bake a fancy cake - This one is in the works. I've picked out the recipe and plan to debut it at book club on Friday. The only downfall is that the recipe is so super detailed that I don't plan on trying it out first....hope it's good or the entire book club will suffer!
3. Take Connor to the zoo - Seriously, who am I kidding? I can hardly get the kid to the store plus it's WAY too hot! I'll be switching this one out eventually.
4. Go on a date - Dunnzo! Don't judge me! It was no secret I was having trouble adjusting to the whole "you can't leave the house when you're a mother" issue. Steven and I went to see Horrible Bosses while the grandparents babysat. I wish I could say I enjoyed it a little more but all I could think about was getting back home.
5. Trim the hedges - Still too hot.
6. Shop at the farmers market regularly - I've done this every Saturday that we have been in town. We haven't been in town that many Saturdays though!
7. Surprise Steven
8. Plant an herb garden - I could devote a whole post to what a failure this was....maybe because I skip the gardening sections in BHG??? We'll come back to this one!
9. Read a classic novel - Just picked the novel out but it's $10.00 on the Kindle. I believe I'll be going to the library to check it out.
10. Blog regularly - In the works. Maybe I should have defined regularly.
2. Bake a fancy cake - This one is in the works. I've picked out the recipe and plan to debut it at book club on Friday. The only downfall is that the recipe is so super detailed that I don't plan on trying it out first....hope it's good or the entire book club will suffer!
3. Take Connor to the zoo - Seriously, who am I kidding? I can hardly get the kid to the store plus it's WAY too hot! I'll be switching this one out eventually.
4. Go on a date - Dunnzo! Don't judge me! It was no secret I was having trouble adjusting to the whole "you can't leave the house when you're a mother" issue. Steven and I went to see Horrible Bosses while the grandparents babysat. I wish I could say I enjoyed it a little more but all I could think about was getting back home.
5. Trim the hedges - Still too hot.
6. Shop at the farmers market regularly - I've done this every Saturday that we have been in town. We haven't been in town that many Saturdays though!
7. Surprise Steven
8. Plant an herb garden - I could devote a whole post to what a failure this was....maybe because I skip the gardening sections in BHG??? We'll come back to this one!
9. Read a classic novel - Just picked the novel out but it's $10.00 on the Kindle. I believe I'll be going to the library to check it out.
10. Blog regularly - In the works. Maybe I should have defined regularly.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
ABCs
(Thanks for the idea Katie!)
A is for Apples - We went for a much needed visit with the Apple family today. Connor and Jude played and Katie and I chatted and had lunch. It was just what I needed!
B is for Beach - We took our annual beach trip with Steven's family. It was Connor's first trip and he got to spend lots of time with the grandparents. I couldn't resist taking him out to the water to dip is toes in the ocean. In true baby style, he slept through the entire thing! We did get some great pictures though!
C is for Connor....Seriously, I love this kid!
D is for Doctor - We had to make an unplanned trip to the doctor before we went to the beach. I noticed some tiny puss filled blisters in Connor's diaper area. I knew it wasn't diaper rash so I called the doctor. They wanted us to come in so they could look at it. Connor had a staph infection. He had to use a topical antibiotic for 5 days, 3 times a day. Thankfully, it's all cleared up.
E is for Elephants - I finished reading Water for Elephants for book club this Friday. I enjoyed the book a lot more than I thought I would. I'm anxious to see the movie.
F is for Fist - Over the past week Connor has discovered his fist. He LOVES sucking it in place of the paci. I crack up when I see him in his car seat working so hard to lean his head to meet his fist. He prefers his fist to just about anything...including the bottle at times!
G is for Grandpa - We spent this past Sunday visiting with Sir Grandpa to celebrate his birthday. Connor was excited to give Sir Grandpa his Kindle and spend time with Cousin Adora, Aunt Sarah and Uncle Joseph. We picked veggies from the garden, gorged on grilled hamburgers and finished the day with birthday cheesecake. YUM!
H is for Husband - Mine is still amazing! He has been so super helpful this past week. He's taken Connor shopping, watched him alone for several hours on end and let me sleep in! SWOON.
I is for Impossible - I feel like it's impossible to get anything done with an infant....including this blog, house cleaning and cooking.
J is for January - January is the month I will return to work. Connor will be 6 months old. I know returning to work will be hard but after much prayer and discussion, Steven and I decided this is what's best for us and our family.
K is for King of Thrones - My new favorite show that I've been squeezing in during Connor's "naps." (This one is a stretch!)
L is for lightening - lightening struck a line we lost a computer and the router. It's been a little hard to upload all of our pictures onto the laptop because the files are so big. Hopefully some will work their way into this post!
M is for Michael - I've been putting a lot of thought and research time into Michael's bachelorette party and bridal shower. I'm so stinking excited for her wedding! Tomorrow we're going to try on bridesmaid dresses. Michael was so gracious to wait until I wasn't fat and pregnant to make me do this!
N is for Nicholas Sparks - Seriously, why do I keep reading his books? I always read one at the beach. This year I read Safe Haven. Same formula as the rest of his books....boy meets girl. They fall in love while cooking a meal but something tragic is keeping them apart. Something else tragic happens to end the previous tragedy keeping them apart. This makes their love grow stronger. Someone dies. (not necessarily and main character) Love conquers all and they end up together.
O is for OBGYN - Hey, I had to fit it in here somewhere. I had my six week appointment last Thursday. Stitches are healed and I'm good to return to all normal activity.....physically at least!
P is for Pictures!
Q is for Quite time - There has been a lot more of this around the house over the past few days. I do believe Mr. C has hit a growth spurt which requires a lot more sleep. Getting big is hard work...unless of course, you do it the same way I did! : )
R is for reflux - I'm terrified that Connor is developing reflux. The amount he's been spitting up/projectile vomiting is a bit more than I would care to see. The good news is that he doesn't seem in pain.
S is for Smiles - There has been a huge increase in smiles around our house lately! Connor is cranking those beauties out! My favorite time with him is right after we wake up in the morning. Once he has had his bottle and a change, he's all smiles for about 40 minutes....I could eat his face!
T is for Tilleys - We had an impromptu Tilley family reunion at our house last night. Okay, it wasn't the WHOLE family, but it sure felt like it!
U is for United States Postal Service - They have kidnapped my husband. They're doing a huge overhaul of the post office. This means Steven's day doesn't start until 8:30 and ends anytime between 5:30-7:00. Add an hour commute to the end of that day and Steven barely gets to see Connor before he goes to bed. This is something we're both really struggling with.
V is for Voice - Connor seems to have discovered his voice. He is cooing all day long. I catch myself thinking that he on the verge of crying only to discover that he's talking! Love it!
W is for Work - Steven had last week off for our beach trip but we came back on Wednesday and had the rest of the week to relax. He was so helpful with the night feedings and diaper changes. I was more torn up with him going back to work this week than I was when he first went back after Connor's birth.
X is for......meh, is X really even a letter???
Y is for Yogurt - I'm dying to go back to Yogurt Lab. Seriously, this has been on my mind way too much! Steven and I had several yogurt dates at the end of my pregnancy.
Z is for Z End.....That works right?
A is for Apples - We went for a much needed visit with the Apple family today. Connor and Jude played and Katie and I chatted and had lunch. It was just what I needed!
B is for Beach - We took our annual beach trip with Steven's family. It was Connor's first trip and he got to spend lots of time with the grandparents. I couldn't resist taking him out to the water to dip is toes in the ocean. In true baby style, he slept through the entire thing! We did get some great pictures though!
C is for Connor....Seriously, I love this kid!
D is for Doctor - We had to make an unplanned trip to the doctor before we went to the beach. I noticed some tiny puss filled blisters in Connor's diaper area. I knew it wasn't diaper rash so I called the doctor. They wanted us to come in so they could look at it. Connor had a staph infection. He had to use a topical antibiotic for 5 days, 3 times a day. Thankfully, it's all cleared up.
E is for Elephants - I finished reading Water for Elephants for book club this Friday. I enjoyed the book a lot more than I thought I would. I'm anxious to see the movie.
F is for Fist - Over the past week Connor has discovered his fist. He LOVES sucking it in place of the paci. I crack up when I see him in his car seat working so hard to lean his head to meet his fist. He prefers his fist to just about anything...including the bottle at times!
G is for Grandpa - We spent this past Sunday visiting with Sir Grandpa to celebrate his birthday. Connor was excited to give Sir Grandpa his Kindle and spend time with Cousin Adora, Aunt Sarah and Uncle Joseph. We picked veggies from the garden, gorged on grilled hamburgers and finished the day with birthday cheesecake. YUM!
H is for Husband - Mine is still amazing! He has been so super helpful this past week. He's taken Connor shopping, watched him alone for several hours on end and let me sleep in! SWOON.
I is for Impossible - I feel like it's impossible to get anything done with an infant....including this blog, house cleaning and cooking.
J is for January - January is the month I will return to work. Connor will be 6 months old. I know returning to work will be hard but after much prayer and discussion, Steven and I decided this is what's best for us and our family.
K is for King of Thrones - My new favorite show that I've been squeezing in during Connor's "naps." (This one is a stretch!)
L is for lightening - lightening struck a line we lost a computer and the router. It's been a little hard to upload all of our pictures onto the laptop because the files are so big. Hopefully some will work their way into this post!
M is for Michael - I've been putting a lot of thought and research time into Michael's bachelorette party and bridal shower. I'm so stinking excited for her wedding! Tomorrow we're going to try on bridesmaid dresses. Michael was so gracious to wait until I wasn't fat and pregnant to make me do this!
N is for Nicholas Sparks - Seriously, why do I keep reading his books? I always read one at the beach. This year I read Safe Haven. Same formula as the rest of his books....boy meets girl. They fall in love while cooking a meal but something tragic is keeping them apart. Something else tragic happens to end the previous tragedy keeping them apart. This makes their love grow stronger. Someone dies. (not necessarily and main character) Love conquers all and they end up together.
O is for OBGYN - Hey, I had to fit it in here somewhere. I had my six week appointment last Thursday. Stitches are healed and I'm good to return to all normal activity.....physically at least!
P is for Pictures!
Q is for Quite time - There has been a lot more of this around the house over the past few days. I do believe Mr. C has hit a growth spurt which requires a lot more sleep. Getting big is hard work...unless of course, you do it the same way I did! : )
R is for reflux - I'm terrified that Connor is developing reflux. The amount he's been spitting up/projectile vomiting is a bit more than I would care to see. The good news is that he doesn't seem in pain.
S is for Smiles - There has been a huge increase in smiles around our house lately! Connor is cranking those beauties out! My favorite time with him is right after we wake up in the morning. Once he has had his bottle and a change, he's all smiles for about 40 minutes....I could eat his face!
T is for Tilleys - We had an impromptu Tilley family reunion at our house last night. Okay, it wasn't the WHOLE family, but it sure felt like it!
U is for United States Postal Service - They have kidnapped my husband. They're doing a huge overhaul of the post office. This means Steven's day doesn't start until 8:30 and ends anytime between 5:30-7:00. Add an hour commute to the end of that day and Steven barely gets to see Connor before he goes to bed. This is something we're both really struggling with.
V is for Voice - Connor seems to have discovered his voice. He is cooing all day long. I catch myself thinking that he on the verge of crying only to discover that he's talking! Love it!
W is for Work - Steven had last week off for our beach trip but we came back on Wednesday and had the rest of the week to relax. He was so helpful with the night feedings and diaper changes. I was more torn up with him going back to work this week than I was when he first went back after Connor's birth.
X is for......meh, is X really even a letter???
Y is for Yogurt - I'm dying to go back to Yogurt Lab. Seriously, this has been on my mind way too much! Steven and I had several yogurt dates at the end of my pregnancy.
Z is for Z End.....That works right?
Thursday, July 14, 2011
3-8 Weeks
Steven and I are hanging on to this time frame. That's when the pediatrician told us that babies were most fussy. God, I hope so. Week 4 proved to be challenging. Connor cries and fusses then repeats. His best times are first thing in the morning, immediately after waking and a small window in the afternoon. Those are the only times I don't have to be in his face shushing, bouncing, singing, changing or feeding. I even caught myself reseaching colic...I know this isn't the case as Connor can be soothed and only really cries when he's tired.
I'm feeling a little crazy and desperate right now. (Bonnie, I went back and read your blog from this same time period to see if I was normal! Thanks!) I keep finding myself thinking that I can't keep this up forever...then I remind myself that the doctor said weeks 3-8 were the toughest.
I got this.
Right???
I'm feeling a little crazy and desperate right now. (Bonnie, I went back and read your blog from this same time period to see if I was normal! Thanks!) I keep finding myself thinking that I can't keep this up forever...then I remind myself that the doctor said weeks 3-8 were the toughest.
I got this.
Right???
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